The power of humor and laughter is numerous. They entertain us and make us feel good. But, above all, we have discovered that humor and laughter are the best medicine. They relieve pain, reduce stress and anxiety, and are anti-aging and longevity facilitators.
They are extremely necessary for helping us to find and maintain a balance between life and work. However, they are slipping away from us. We have become far too serious. The only ones who still enjoy humor, laughter, fun and play to the fullest are young children. Children tend to laugh an average of 200 times a day. For adults, however, it is a totally different story.
In the 1950s people laughed on average 18 times a day. Today, we are lucky if we average between 4-6 times a day.
As a matter of fact, a recent study found that people laugh 6 more times in the presence of one person but 30 more times in a group of people. You can get a chuckle(咯咯笑) from jokes you get on the Internet, but it is not the same as belly jiggling laughter (a deep laugh) you get when you interact with others.
Socializing with friends and relatives was much looked forward to. However, this is no longer the case. In fact, the majority of people can hardly find time, nor do they have the inclination towards socializing outside home. They turn to electronic media such as television, computers, the Internet, videos, CDs, and audio equipment, which can provide them with instant self-entertainment at the push of a button.
The workplace does not fare(进展) much better. Due to the pressures to produce more in the same or fewer hours available and to compete, for example, in a manufacturing field with cheaper labor elsewhere in the world, humor and laughter in the workplace have gradually eroded（逐渐毁坏） away.
I have developed a real appreciation, perhaps closer to a strong desire for the power of humor and laughter. This encouraged me to write my first book titled “The Power of Humor” and subsequently my second book titled “Kids Say the Goggonest Things” based on the natural humor, laughter, play and fun that kids experience and they freely share with parents, grandparents and teachers.
From writing about humor and laughter, people start to ask me to speak up for them. To date, I have developed a number of humor-laughter topics that I use in my keynote presentations. You are invited to subscribe to my free monthly e-magazine “The Humormeister’s Forum” by clicking on the Free Humor E-zine navigation button on the website.
1.According to the author, laughter is leaving us partly because ________.
A. we treat everything in a serious way
B. it relieves pain, reduces stress and anxiety
C. we fail to maintain balance between life and work
D. the pace of change in our lives is becoming faster
2.The fourth paragraph mainly tells us that ________.
A. getting a deep laugh nowadays is difficult
B. we can entertain ourselves with the help of the Internet
C. people laugh more heartily when spending time with others
D. researchers have made a new discovery about the effect of laughter
3.The underlined word inclination in Paragraph 5 most probably means ________.
A. destination B. tendency
C. attitude D. approach
4.Which of the following articles can we most probably find in The Humormeisters Forum?
A. The power of honesty.
B. Dont be your own worst enemy.
C. Live life purposefully: The relationship within.
D. Funny Christmas stories to share with your loved ones.
When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn't look like any doctor I'd ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind.
When Doctor Gibbs wasn't saving lives, he was planting trees. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He believed in the principle: "No pain, no gain". He hardly watered his new trees, an attitude which flew in the face of conventional wisdom.
Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said you had to make things tough for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how, if they were not watered, trees would grow deep roots in search of water.
So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he'd beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree's attention.
Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I'd watched him plant some 25 years ago. They were tall and strong.
I planted a couple of trees myself a few years ago. Two years of attending these trees meant they grew up weak. Whenever a cold wind blew, their branches trembled. Adversity seemed to benefit Doctor Gibb's trees in ways comfort and ease never could.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to encounter hardship. There's always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won't be torn apart.
1.With the trees planted, Doctor Gibbs often______.
A. kept watering them every morning
B. talked to them to get their attention
C. paid little attention to them
D. beat them to make them grow deep roots
2.What does the underlined word "Adversity" mean in the sixth paragraph?
A. Difficult living conditions.
B. Lack of moisture.
C. Enough care or attention.
D. Bad weather.
3.Which prayer does the author wish for his sons?
A. Have an easy life, without too much to worry about.
B. Be able to stand the rain and wind in their lives.
C. Have good luck, encountering less hardship in their life.
D. Meet people like Dr Gibbs in the future.
I take the firm position that parents do not owe their children a college education. If they can it, they will certainly send them to the best universities. But they need not feel if they can’t. If the children really want to go, they’ll find a . There are plenty of loans and scholarships for the bright and ones who can’t afford to pay.
When children grow up and want to , their parents do not owe them a down payment on a house. They do not have the to baby-sit their grandchildren. If they want to do it, it must be considered a not an obligation (责任，义务).
Do parents owe their children anything? Yes, they owe them a great deal.
One of their obligations is to give their children a personal . A child who is constantly made to feel stupid and unworthy, constantly to brighter brothers, sisters, or cousins will become so , so afraid of failing that he (or she) won’t try at all. Of course they should be corrected when they do wrong, but it’s often better to let children learn their mistakes by themselves . All our parents should do is to trust them, respect them, tolerate (宽容) them and give them chances to try and fail. They must learn to stand . When criticisms (批评) are really needed, they should be with praises, with a smile and a kiss. That is the way children learn.
Parents owe their children a set of solid values around to build their lives. This means teaching them to the rights and opinions of others; it means being respectful to elders, to teachers, and to the law. The best way to teach such values is by deed and ________. A child who is lied to will . A child who sees no laughter and no love in the home will have difficulty laughing and loving.
No child asks to be . If you bring a life into the world, you owe the child .
1.A. find B. afford C. get D. accept
2.A. disappointed B. unhappy C. guilty D. dissatisfied
3.A. supply B. hope C. way D. hand
4.A. healthy B. honest C. eager D. wealthy
5.A. get a job B. get married C. go abroad D. live alone
6.A. time B. duty C. right D. energy
7.A. service B. pleasure C. habit D. favor
8.A. affair B. value C. belief D. ability
9.A. compared B. brought C. forced D. taken
10.A. unusual B. unsure C. unknown D. unfair
11.A. gently B. properly C. nearly D. possibly
12.A. in time B. now and then C. at once D. right now
13.A. honor B. failure C. progress D. test
14.A. mixed B. included C. balanced D. shared
15.A. it B. which C. whom D. what
16.A. consider B. refuse C. follow D. respect
17.A. blame B. experience C. example D. lesson
18.A. lie B. win C. lose D. cry
19.A. praised B. born C. alone D. poor
20.A. everything B. nothing C. anything D. something
--- The film we saw last week is very romantic.
--- ___ I did not think it romantic at all.
A. With all due respect B. I beg to differ
C. As predicted D. I can’t agree with you more
China made a commitment to the world in the Copenhagen Summit that by 2020, the carbon-intensity of its economy ______ fall 40% to 45%.
A. shall B. may C. must D. should
--- I am really struck by your spoken English. You speak so fluently. Have you been abroad?
---Yes. I ______ in London for two years.
A. have stayed B. stayed
C. had stayed D. have been staying
